Chapter 8

~o~O~o~

Chief Delarose leaned forward in his chair, resting his elbows on the conference table, “I’d rather not see Miss Wiley assigned to Poe.”

“Why is that Chief?” Mrs. Shugendo turned her attention toward their chef of security, “She is after all a changeling and Poe cottage is the best equipped for any special needs she may have.”

“That’s not quite true Michiko,” Dr. Tenant injected. “I’ve reviewed the medical records from Angela’s doctors, she was born intersexed. Her condition was discovered two years ago by her family physician. While her outward appearance may have resembled a prepubescence boy, genetically she never had a ‘Y’ chromosome or any testes. Internally Angela has all the sexual organs of a female and would have required surgery to create a vaginal opening when she began menarche.”

“Having reviewed the records from the psychologist she was seeing back in Iowa,” Dr. Markham added, “I would see no problem with placing Angela in any of the other cottages. Between her mother and her psychologist I believe they have her as ready as anyone could be to portray herself as the female she is now.”

“Good,” Chief Delarose grinned. “The last thing we need is for her to around those trouble magnets in Poe.” Several of the staff nodded in agreement, knowing exactly which students in Poe Chief Delarose was referring to.

“I have to agree with Chief Delarose,” Mrs. Carson stated. “The fact that both DARPA and the department of defense have shown an interest in Miss Wiley’s continued education and her safety, it would be a good idea to try to limit her exposure to some of our more exuberant students.”

“Exuberant is an understatement for the Kimbas,” Chief Delarose interjected. “The last thing this campus needs is those kids adding a gadgeteer with her abilities to their friends list.”

“Well then,” Mrs. Shugendo began writing something in the file folder that lay on the table in front of her. “I see no reason not to grant her mother’s request of, ‘Only the best for her daughter,’ and assign her to Melville.”

“Melville?” Mrs. Hartford, who had been sitting quietly listening to the debate, spoke up, “Are you sure you don’t want to assign her to Dickinson or Whitman?”

“Her family can definitely afford the extra cost,” Mrs. Shugendo stated while looking at the notes she had in the folder. “Wiley Enterprises has made the fortune 500 list for several years.”

“It’s not the money,” Mrs. Hartford explained. “I don’t think she would fit in very well with the other Melville students.”

“You mean because she hasn’t had a maid and butler waiting on her hand and foot since birth like many of the Melville students’ right?” Chief Delarose looked directly at Mrs. Hartford.

“We’ll have no bickering over favorites,” Mrs. Carson interrupted. “If Miss Wiley’s mother wants her daughter in Melville and is willing to pay the extra costs involved, then I see no reason not to give Mrs. Wiley what she wants.”

“Then it’s settled,’ Mrs. Shugendo began to write down some notes. “She’ll be assigned to Melville, I’ll have to check what rooms are available to give her a room assignment as many have been reserved already for the new class of freshmen that will be arriving.” Looking over at Mrs. Carson, “Should we expect her to be returning with the new arrivals?”

“Yes, her mother wished to spend this week with her daughter before they needed to return to their home,” Mrs. Carson chuckled. “She said it was imperative that she and her daughter have some time to bond, and purchase the new wardrobe her daughter now needed.”

“That works out well as she won’t check into her cottage until the normal students begin arriving for the start of the school year,” Mrs. Shugendo nodded.

~o~O~o~

After leaving the small diner in Dunwich, Paul drove the family to Berlin where they followed the direction on the GPS to the mall. Tonya could tell at the size of the building and the fact it only had three anchor stores it wasn’t a large mall. Although small Tonya knew she would be able to find some basic everyday clothing for her daughter, at least enough to get her by the week she planned on spending in Boston where she planned on expanding Angela’s wardrobe to something closer to what a girl her age would have, before they had to take Angela back to school.

Sitting in the backseat of the car her parents had rented while her father drove them to Berlin gave Angela plenty of time to think. Between Uncle Harry, the doctors and nurses then her mother, Angela really hadn’t been given any time to think about her situation. Ever since the doctors back home had discovered Angela’s rare medical condition two years ago, Angela had known that one day she would have to stop ‘pretending she was a boy,’ as her mother sometimes said.

Angela knew her mother never said things like that to hurt her, but it still hurt as Angela had spent the first twelve years of her life believing she was a boy. The doctor had told them that her condition would delay puberty but felt there was little doubt that Angela would eventually develop the secondary characters of a girl and have to present herself as such. Trying to prepare Angela for the inevitable her mother had coaxed her into letting her hair grow out although keeping it in a longer boy’s style and began talking Angela into wearing some feminine clothing around the house, which began as training bras to help Angela conceal the first signs of breast development.

Nervously fingering the hem of the dress she wore, Angela realized the fears she had in the past of going out in public dressed this way were unfounded. Something her mother had said so many times in the past couple of years Angela could almost quote her mother word for word about how people would not see her as a boy in a dress and how she shouldn’t be afraid of something that would never happen. Looking down at her now prominent breasts Angela sighed. Pulling the Wile E. Coyote doll, she had discovered her mother brought with them to give to her, into a tighter hug, Angela thought to herself, ‘At least boys will stop picking on me for having you.’

As her father pulled the rental car into an empty parking space at the mall, Angela’s mother turned around where she could see Angela, “Ready honey?”

Angela shook her head. “Not really,” speaking just above a whisper as she unbuckled her seatbelt and reached for the door to get out of the car.

~o~O~o~

“This is really nice,” Angela’s mother pronounced, looking around the lobby of the dorm her daughter would be staying in as the two approached the reception desk. “If my college dorm would have been half as nice as this, I would never have wanted to leave. It reminds me more of a five star hotel instead of a dormitory.”

“We like to refer to our student housing as Cottages here at Whateley,” A woman sitting behind the reception desk smiled. “I’m Mrs. Deng,” looking at Angela, “You must be Angela, and this must be your mother Tonya.” Reaching her hand out across the desk as she stood to greet them, “I’ve been expecting your arrival. I’ve read about your company, it’s so nice to finally meet the woman behind it all.”

Angela’s mother smiled as she shook her outstretched hand, “Well then you’re shaking the wrong woman’s hand. I’m just a small town attorney, Angela here is the one behind our company’s success. She’s the one that dreams up all those gizmos that everyone is so interested in. I mainly just file the patents and keep track of the licensing, everything else my husband normally takes care of.”

“It’s still a pleasure meeting you ma’am,” Mrs. Deng smiled as she shook Tonya’s hand. “I’ve taken the liberty to have the items that have already been delivered for Angela taken to her room.” Sitting back down at her desk Mrs. Deng began typing at her computer, “You’ll be in room three-eleven,” she spoke as she typed. “It’s a double occupancy as all of our single rooms were already reserved. Although you haven’t been assigned a roommate and as there are no other freshmen due to arrive in Melville you will have the room to yourself until another student is assigned to our cottage.”

“So sooner or later I’ll have a roommate?”

Reaching over the desk Mrs. Deng held a credit card sized plastic card attached to a lanyard out toward Angela, “It’s possible that you could have a roommate assigned by next week, but more likely that you will go the whole school year without one as most students arriving during the school year will be assigned to other cottages. This is your student ID and the keycard for your room. If you lose or misplace it, let me know immediately and I can deactivate it and make you a new one.”

“Thank you,” Angela took the card from Mrs. Deng turning it over carefully to examine both sides. One side had a facial picture of Angela with her name under the picture. Along the left side in large blue letters the word ‘student’ was written from top to bottom and along the ride side also written from top to bottom the word Melville. The back of the card was plain white with the common black electronic stripe. The lanyard was done in a navy blue with white lettering showing the word Melville written in fancy script even six inches along its length. Placing the lanyard over her head, Angela pulled her hair out from under the woven cord.

Handing Angela a thick Manilla envelope, “This contains your student information packet, maps of the campus and buildings. Your student handbook, which I recommend reading at your earliest convenience as it not only, contains the rules and regulations for the campus. You’ll also find a booklet with class schedules and their locations.”

Tucking the manila envelope under her arm Angel and her mother turned to the sound of someone struggling to push one of those cart they often use at hotels for luggage through the entrance doors of the cottage. Several department store bags sat atop a trunk and several suitcases loaded on the cart. Spotting her Husband pushing the cart approaching them Mrs. Wiley turned back to the desk, “Mrs. Deng this is Angela’s father, my husband Paul.” Turning back to Paul, “Paul this is Mrs. Deng the cottage’s Concierge.”

Stopping the cart Paul stepped up to the desk holding out his right hand, “Paul Wiley, nice to meet you Mrs. Deng. I hope our little mad scientist won’t cause too much trouble for you.”

Smiling as she shook his outstretched hand, “Oh I’m sure Angela will be given plenty of room in the labs for any mad science she feels the need to experiment with, so we shouldn’t have any issues here in the cottage.”

“Well since your father is here, let’s go up to your room and I’ll help you put everything away dear,” Mrs. Wiley smiled at Angela.

“The elevators are to the left,’ Mrs. Deng directed the group. “Oh Angela you’ll need to be down here in the lobby by nine a.m. for the campus tour and freshmen orientation.”

“Yes ma’am,” looking back over her shoulder at Mrs. Deng as Angela walked to the elevator.

~o~O~o~

Walking back into the cottage after returning from what Angela thought of as a waste of time as her and other new students were force to sit and listen to the headmistress and several of the staff stand up on stage and go over almost everything in the handbook she had read last night, Angela saw Mrs. Deng wave her over. Walking over to the desk, “Yes ma’am?”

“Good afternoon Angela, “I have a message that Chief Delarose needs to see you over at security as soon as possible.”

“Yes ma’am,” Angela sighed.

“Do you know the way there?”

“Yes ma’am,” Angela pointed back toward the door, “straight out on the other side of the main road that ends at Shuster Hall.”

“I wouldn’t keep him waiting.”

“No ma’am,” Angela turned to go back out the door, “I’m heading over there now.”

~o~O~o~

Walking up to the desk, “Um, Hi, Mr. Delarose wanted to see me?”
“And you are?” the large man behind the desk asked sat down the magazine he was reading as he took his feet off the desk.

“I’m Angela Wiley”

“Oh yeah, the chief wanted to know soon as you arrived.” He said as he picked up the phone. “Hey Chief, the Wiley girl is here to see you. Sure thing boss.” Rising up from his chair, waving for Angela to come around the counter, “Follow me, I’ll show ya where his office is.”

Angela follow the large man down a hall in pointed at a door, “Knock first.” Then he turned and walked back down the hall.

Taking a few deep breaths to calm her nerves Angela knocked on the door, “Enter” she heard from inside.

“Ahh Miss Wiley, Have a seat,” Delarose motioned to the chairs in front of his desk.

“Am I in trouble?” Smoothing out her skirt as she sat.

“No, no, nothing like that. The reason I asked you to stop by is that I wanted to talk to you about that robot that you are so famous for not owning.”

“My mech?”

“Okay look,” Delarose paused seeing how nervous the girl was. “My sole purpose in being here is to protect you and the other students. I have never nor will I ever turn a student over to those MCO Goons.” He saw her lose some of the tension in her body. “What I am afraid of is someone getting their hands on the technology you put in that thing. I hear that some of it is top secret eyes only DOD stuff. Am I correct?”

“Yes sir.” Angela began contemplating the color of her tennis shoes.

“So what I want to do is bring it up here, that way you have it to tinker with and we can make sure no bad guys get their hands on it.”

Angela looked up and gasped, “You mean it? I can have her here?”

“Yes I mean it, you can even schedule time on down in the range to practice with it.”

“I can!”

“Miss Wiley, I am not sure if you are aware of this, but you have the beginnings of a fan club here at Whateley. You are a downright folk hero to the Robot Jox club. If we don’t get your mech up here soon I think they may build a shine to it or something. There are students who would sell their soul to just know you are here and who you are.”

Lowering her head once again is a poor attempt to conceal she was blushing. ”I only did what I had to. I never expected the news people to film it.”

“I know,” his voice very consoling, “I have had to do unpleasant things before myself. You are not in trouble for what you had to do, as far as I am concerned it was self-defense and what you did during that shootout with the police… You saved good hardworking honest police officers when you did that. In my opinion you deserve this and I am proud to get the honor of giving it to you.” Opening a drawer in the side of his desk he pulled out a large Manila envelope and handed it to her.

Taking the large envelope she sat it in her lap. ”Well don’t just sit there open it!” tearing open the end of the envelop she withdrew a plaque. In bold letter on top it read. ‘Marion County Sheriff’s department’ under that it read, ‘In recognition for outstanding citizenship as demonstrated by your actions in Marion County Iowa. Your swift actions and bravery saved the lives of numerous officers of the law. Let it be known that you are and always will be our HERO the last word was set by itself in large bold lettering. Below that a picture of the Iowa state flag and the American flag crossed together.

Angela didn’t notice Delarose get up from his desk and walk over to her as copious amounts of tears fell upon the black lacquered plaque. Delarose even found his own eyes becoming a bit watery as he read the plaque over her shoulder. His anger rose when he thought about those bastards that put the kids and all those people in jeopardy in the first place. No kid should even be put in a situation like she had been put in.

Pulling himself out of the mood that he was starting to get into, “Would you mind if we gave this to you in a formal ceremony?”

“A what?” she sniffed back tears.

“A formal ceremony, our security forces in full dress uniform. Invite delegates from Marion County. The whole nine yards! Send a tape of it back to the Sheriff's department.”

“Isn’t that pretentious?”

“Not in the least bit, those guys back there are proud of you and want to show it.” Kneeling down so he was eye level with the small girl, “Let’s give them something to be really proud of ok?”

“Okay,” sniffing back more tears.

“I’ll take care of the details, only thing I need is the location of your mech so we can bring it up before the ceremony.”

“I, I don’t know where it is.”

“Kind of hard to misplace a three story robot isn’t it.” The chief chucked at the thought.

“It won’t be where I left it,” she confessed, “It has been running evasion algorithms since I left.”

“Is it possible to track its heat signature?”

“It doesn’t really have one. At least not much of one.”

“What about its magnetic signature? That much metal in one place, while may be difficult to track can be located with the right equipment.”

“It’s mostly made out of spectre.”

“That new bullet proof material?”

“Yes.”

“That had to have cost a fortune!” Delarose shuddered, “We have been trying to swing the funds to pick up some suits of that for our fast response team.”

“Not,” pausing to lower her voice to just above a whisper, “if you know the formula for it. I could ask mom if she could send those up for you?”

“Your one of those Wiley’s?”

“Yes, it's our company,” still not looking up from the plaque, “I’m sure mom would be willing to donate some of them, it is in my best interests to have a properly equipped security force here if I am to stay here.”

“Ok back to your mech. Is there any way we can locate it?”

“I could call it and ask it where it is.”

“Now why didn’t I think of that?” Delarose shook his head as he sat back down behind his desk. ”So Miss Wiley, how do we call your mech?”

“Only I can, it won’t respond to anyone else.”

“Can we call from here?”

“Sure.” She reached into her purse and pulled out her smartphone.

“Can you put it on speaker?”

“Ok, she did after she completed punching it what appeared to be way too many numbers for a phone call. A series of buzzing and beeps began, sounding like she had dialed into a fax machine by accident. Angela began speaking almost immediately while the other end continued to make the noise. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot and then she rattled off a long series of numbers, part of which would let Sarah know that she should not reveal that she is a fully functional AI.

The noises stopped, ~code accepted. Proceed to voice recognition~

“Negative voice recognition,” Angela spoke, “Unable to comply”
The digitized voice became the voice of the HAL 9000, ~Dave is that you?~

“Confirm Road runner, this is Coyote, my voice has changed,”

The digitized voice returned, ~Unable to confirm voice print, secondary confirmation, speech pattern, Please begin~

Angela began, “A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. A robot must obey orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.”

~ Speech pattern, confirmed. State objective~

“Require your loc.”

~Unable to comply… Possible Coyote under duress~

“I am not under anyone's influence! Where are you at?”

~Evasion protocol running… Pilot retrieval protocol running… Location confirmed… Rendezvous 0730 hours two days from current transmission… Main entrance Whateley Academy...End transmission…~ the line went dead.

“It’s on its way here?”

“It must have picked up something to let it know where I am and has been heading this way?”

“Wonderful,” Delarose sighed, “Well on the bright side, we don’t have to worry about borrowing a drop ship to transport it.”

“Sorry Chief Delarose,” Angela gave him the sad puppy dog look. “It has a very simple programing, It’s out there like a lost puppy trying to find its way home to me.”

“Oh Jesus Christ,” the chief saw the look on Angela’s face, “Is Generator giving lessons on how to give that look, or do all teen girls do it instinctively?”

“Huh? Who’s Generator?”

“Never mind,” Delarose said, “Meet us at the main gate no later than 0700 the day it arrives. I don’t want that thing tearing apart the campus looking for you! Now get out of here.”

“Yes sir,” She got out of the chair and went to the door.” Turing as she put her hand on the door handle, “Thank you Chief.”

Delarose smiled at the girl as she left, closing the door behind her. On her way out Angela spotted a girl wearing what looked like military BDU’s leaning against the counter. The way the girl was staring made Angela very nervous, it felt as if her skin was crawling and every hair on her head tingled as she quickly rushed past the other girl and out the door.

"This is fan fiction for the Whateley Academy series. It may or may not match the timeline, characters, and continuity, but since it's fan fiction, who cares? To see the canon Whateley Stories, check out Whateley Academy at (http://whateleyacademy.net)"

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